Abstract—In South African rural schools, discipline is perceived as a vast masculine challenge that most male teachers find hard to bear. This study states that most of the male teachers’ stress that the teaching profession has enormously become a 'feminized’; therefore, male learners suffer due to a lack of male role models. This simply shows that masculinity is somehow centered on homophobia. Male teachers are therefore, forced to enact all manner of exaggerated masculine behaviors and attitudes to ensure that no one gets a wrong idea about them within the classroom. The study intends to focus more on the real impact of maintaining discipline among male teachers. This study adopted a qualitative research approach through a case study design. Four participants (two female and two male teachers) were interviewed at rural schools in South Africa. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings showed that the male teachers fear being exposed as feminine and powerless. They should live up to standards to seek approval either in the workplace or often in the classroom, and this leads them to severe consequences. They end up being humiliated in the classroom or workplace.
Keywords: Masculinity, Feminine, Gender roles, Discipline, Humiliation, Teachers
Hlatshwayo, B. J. (2024). Gender roles in maintaining discipline at a school, South Africa: A case study of teachers. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 4(1), 41-45. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijspsy.v4i1.1067